Chemical liquid injection system

• US 8,177,757 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2005
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nemoto Kyorindo Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nemoto Kyorindo Company Limited
• Inventors: Nemoto, Shigeru, Saitoh, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lucchesi, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, PRITESH ASHOK
• Application Number:
  US11/720,189
• Publication Number:
  US 20070260194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,532 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 604/181
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/14546 Front-loading type injectors
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1456 with a replaceable reservoir comprising a piston rod to be moved into the reservoir, e.g. the piston rod is part of the removable reservoir
• CPC Class Codes: A61M 5/1458 Means for capture of the plunger flange

Abstract

A piston adapter, which can be easily removed even when it is mounted on a piston member of a rodless syringe and pressed in a cylinder member, is provided. In piston adapter 200, when manual operation member 230 is manually rotated relative to adapter rod 210, adapter shaft 220 is also rotated to turn the trailing end of flange engagement member 240 engaging with an engagement open/close mechanism near leading end of the flange engagement member, thereby piston adapter 200 can be easily put on and removed from the piston member of the rodless syringe its leading end by manually operating the trailing end of piston adapter 200.

Claims

1. A chemical liquid injection system comprising:

a chemical liquid injector including a piston driving mechanism of a structure for holding and sliding a piston flange of a normal syringe including an elongated cylinder member and a piston member slidably inserted into the cylinder member from an opening at a trailing end of the cylinder member, the piston member having a piston head mounted at a leading end of an elongated piston rod, the piston member having the piston flange formed on an outer circumference of a trailing end thereof;

a rodless syringe including the elongated cylinder member and a piston member slidably inserted into the cylinder member from the opening at the trailing end of the cylinder member, the piston member not having the piston rod and having the piston flange directly formed at a trailing end of the piston head; and

an elongated piston adapter connecting the piston flange of the rodless syringe to the piston driving mechanism of the chemical liquid injector,

wherein the piston adapter includes;

an elongated, hollow adapter rod having an adapter flange formed on an outer circumference of a trailing end and held by the piston driving mechanism;

an elongated adapter shaft placed inside the adapter rod and rotatable about an axis having the same direction as that of the adapter rod;

a rotatable manual operation member connected to a trailing end of the adapter shaft and exposed near the trailing end of the adapter rod;

an elongated flange engagement member releaseably engaging with the piston flange of the rodless syringe;

an engagement supporting mechanism pivotably supporting a trailing end of the flange engagement member about the axis direction at a position protruded outward from a leading end of the adapter shaft; and

an engagement open/close mechanism connected to a leading end of the adapter rod and engaging with the flange engagement member near a leading end thereof.

3. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein, in the piston adapter:

the n flange engagement members, the n engagement supporting mechanisms, and the n engagement open/close mechanisms are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of the adapter shaft; and

the n flange engagement members are individually supported pivotally on the n engagement supporting mechanisms and individually engage with the n engagement open/close mechanisms.

4. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the flange engagement member has a long hole opened in the axis direction and formed near the leading end to have the same longitudinal direction as that of its entirety, and

the engagement open/close mechanism includes a slide engagement member protruding in the axis direction to slidably fit into the long hole.

5. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the piston adapter includes an engagement holding mechanism for temporarily holding the adapter shaft not to be rotatable relative to the adapter rod when the flange engagement member is closed.

6. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 5, wherein the manual operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape having a concave portion formed in its internal circumference surface, and

the engagement holding mechanism comprises a ball plunger put on the adapter rod to releaseably fit into the concave portion of the manual operation member.

7. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the piston adapter includes an engagement biasing mechanism for biasing the adapter shaft relative to the adapter rod in the direction in which flange engagement member is closed.

8. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein the piston adapter includes an open/close display mechanism for displaying whether the flange engagement member is at a closed position or at an opened position.

9. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 8, wherein the adapter rod is formed in a cylindrical shape at least in its outer circumference near the trailing end thereof,

the manual operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape located on an outer circumference surface of the adapter rod, and

the open/close display mechanism includes a window portion extending from an inner circumference surface to an outer circumference surface of the manual operation member, and an indicator provided on an outer circumference surface near the trailing end of the adapter rod such that the indicator appears through the window portion when the flange engagement member is at the closed position in a different manner from that when the flange engagement member is at the opened position.

10. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, wherein each of the components of the piston adapter is formed of nonmagnetic material, and

the piston driving mechanism of the chemical liquid injector includes an ultrasonic motor formed of nonmagnetic material as a driving source.

11. A piston adapter adapted for the chemical liquid injection system according to claim 1, comprising:

an elongated, hollow adapter rod having an adapter flange formed on an outer circumference of a trailing end and held by a piston driving mechanism of a chemical liquid injector;

an elongated adapter shaft placed inside the adapter rod and rotatable about an axis having the same direction as that of the adapter rod;

a rotatable manual operation member connected to a trailing end of the adapter shaft and exposed near the trailing end of the adapter rod;

an elongated flange engagement member releaseably engaging with the piston flange of a rodless syringe;

an engagement supporting mechanism pivotably supporting a trailing end of the flange engagement member about the axis direction at a position protruded outward from a leading end of the adapter shaft; and

an engagement open/close mechanism connected to a leading end of the adapter rod and engaging with the flange engagement member near a leading end thereof.

13. The piston adapter according to claim 11, further comprising an engagement holding mechanism for temporarily holding the adapter shaft not to be rotatable relative to the adapter rod when the flange engagement member is closed.

14. The piston adapter according to claim 13, wherein the manual operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape having a concave portion formed in its internal circumference surface, and

the engagement holding mechanism comprises a ball plunger put on the adapter rod to releaseably fit into the concave portion of the manual operation member.

2. A chemical liquid injection system comprising:

a chemical liquid injector including a piston driving mechanism of a structure for holding and sliding a piston flange of a normal syringe including an elongated cylinder member and a piston member slidably inserted into the cylinder member from an opening at a trailing end of the cylinder member, the piston member having a piston head mounted at a leading end of an elongated piston rod, the piston member having the piston flange formed on an outer circumference of a trailing end thereof;

a rodless syringe including the elongated cylinder member and a piston member slidably inserted into the cylinder member from the opening at the trailing end of the cylinder member, the piston member not having the piston rod and having the piston flange directly formed at a trailing end of the piston head; and

an elongated piston adapter connecting the piston flange of the rodless syringe to the piston driving mechanism of the chemical liquid injector,

wherein the piston adapter includes;

an elongated, hollow adapter rod having an adapter flange formed on an outer circumference of a trailing end and held by the piston driving mechanism;

an elongated adapter shaft placed inside the adapter rod and rotatable about an axis having the same direction as that of the adapter rod;

a rotatable manual operation member connected to a trailing end of the adapter shaft and exposed near the trailing end of the adapter rod;

an elongated flange engagement member releaseably engaging with the piston flange of the rodless syringe;

an engagement supporting mechanism pivotably supporting a trailing end of the flange engagement member about the axis direction near an outer circumference of a leading end of the adapter rod; and

an engagement open/close mechanism engaging with the flange engagement member near a leading end thereof at a position protruded outward from a leading end of the adapter shaft.

12. A piston adapter adapted for the chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, comprising:

an elongated, hollow adapter rod having an adapter flange formed on an outer circumference of a trailing end and held by a piston driving mechanism of a chemical liquid injector;

an elongated adapter shaft placed inside the adapter rod and rotatable about an axis having the same direction as that of the adapter rod;

a rotatable manual operation member connected to a trailing end of the adapter shaft and exposed near the trailing end of the adapter rod;

an elongated flange engagement member releaseably engaging with the piston flange of a rodless syringe;

an engagement supporting mechanism pivotably supporting a trailing end of the flange engagement member about the axis direction near an outer circumference of a leading end of the adapter rod; and

an engagement open/close mechanism engaging with the flange engagement member near a leading end thereof at a position protruded outward from a leading end of the adapter shaft.

15. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, wherein, in the piston adapter:

the n flange engagement members, the n engagement supporting mechanisms, and the n engagement open/close mechanisms are arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis of the adapter shaft; and

the n flange engagement members are individually supported pivotally on the n engagement supporting mechanisms and individually engage with the n engagement open/close mechanisms.

16. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, wherein the flange engagement member has a long hole opened in the axis direction and formed near the leading end to have the same longitudinal direction as that of its entirety, and

the engagement open/close mechanism includes a slide engagement member protruding in the axis direction to slidably fit into the long hole.

17. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, wherein the piston adapter includes an engagement holding mechanism for temporarily holding the adapter shaft not to be rotatable relative to the adapter rod when the flange engagement member is closed.

18. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 17, wherein the manual operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape having a concave portion formed in its internal circumference surface, and

the engagement holding mechanism comprises a ball plunger put on the adapter rod to releaseably fit into the concave portion of the manual operation member.

19. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, wherein the piston adapter includes an engagement biasing mechanism for biasing the adapter shaft relative to the adapter rod in the direction in which flange engagement member is closed.

20. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, wherein the piston adapter includes an open/close display mechanism for displaying whether the flange engagement member is at a closed position or at an opened position.

21. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 20, wherein the adapter rod is formed in a cylindrical shape at least in its outer circumference near the trailing end thereof,

the manual operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape located on an outer circumference surface of the adapter rod, and

the open/close display mechanism includes a window portion extending from an inner circumference surface to an outer circumference surface of the manual operation member, and an indicator provided on an outer circumference surface near the trailing end of the adapter rod such that the indicator appears through the window portion when the flange engagement member is at the closed position in a different manner from that when the flange engagement member is at the opened position.

22. The chemical liquid injection system according to claim 2, wherein each of the components of the piston adapter is formed of nonmagnetic material, and

the piston driving mechanism of the chemical liquid injector includes an ultrasonic motor formed of nonmagnetic material as a driving source.

23. The piston adapter according to claim 12, further comprising an engagement holding mechanism for temporarily holding the adapter shaft not to be rotatable relative to the adapter rod when the flange engagement member is closed.

24. The piston adapter according to claim 23, wherein the manual operation member is formed in a cylindrical shape having a concave portion formed in its internal circumference surface, and

the engagement holding mechanism comprises a ball plunger put on the adapter rod to releaseably fit into the concave portion of the manual operation member.